Apparatus for washing cans and the like



Aug-31, 1926. 1,598,175

B. E. TAYLOR APPARATUS FOR WASHING CANS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 28, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet v1 INVENTOR ATTRNEY CAJ Patented Aug. 31, i926.

UNITED stares BURT E. TAYLOR, OF MOUNT VERNGN, NEVI YGRK, ASSQ-NOR T0 TH BOBDEN47 COM- isearzs raraiiir freies.-

PANY. OF NEW YORK, 1v". Y., A. COEPRATIO 0F NEWJERSEY.

AFPAILATUS .FOR 'WASHING CANS .AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 28, 1924. Serial No. 746,265.

The invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for washing cans and the like.

In apparatus especially adapted for washing or cleansing the interior of such articles as cans for containing 'and shipping milk, it has been found that a reciprocating nozzle or spray head is an efficient means of direcing the washing fluid or liquid to all parts of the insides of the cans. Usually the cans to be washed are placed upside down on a runway along which the cans are fed with an intermittent motion. As the cans are advanced they are successively positioned over different nozzles or spray heads by which the successive steps or stages of the washing operation are performed. When a. reciprocating nozzle is used the supply of washing fluid is usually shut off during the time the cans are traveling from one station tov the neXt, during which time the nozzle remains in retracted position. Vhen a can is positioned over the reciprocating` noz! zle and the latter is actuated to enter the can, substantially simultaneously therewith the supply of washing fluid is turned on to be directed against the side walls and ibottom of the can while the nozzle is rising in the can and being retracted therefrom.

rEhe object of the present invention is to provide improved and simplified means for actuating the reciprocating nozzle and supplying it with the washing or cleansing fluid or liquid. The invention consists in arranging the intake pipe through which the fluid or liquid is fed to the nozzle so that an equalized or balanced pressure will be maintained in the intake pipe whatever the position of the nozzle. To this end the intake pipe is provided with open ends which are immersed in a bath of the washing fluid or liquid (fed by the liquid supply means) as the intake pipe moves with the reciprocating nozzle. back pressure or thrust in the pipes is lost or taken up in the bath in which the ends- As a re-" sult of maintaining 'a balanced or equalized' of the intake pipe are immersed.

pressure in the pipes which supply the washing iiuid to the reciprocating nozzle it is simply necessaryto expend sufiicient energy in reciprocating the nozzle and the pipes to overcome inertia and friction.

rlhis principle of operation isbelieved to be broadly novel, and although it is shown By this arrangement the and vdescribed as particularly adapted for usein connection with can Washing apparatus, it will be understood that the invention is not to be restricted to this purpose since it is adapted for use in connection with 1 other kinds of apparatus in which a fluid or liquid delivering or discharging means is caused to move while the fluid or liquid 'is being discharged, whether in the `form of The invention itselfA ing the preferredform .of the inVentimFig. 1

l is a side elevation ofso much of a can washing machine as is necessary to -illustrate the application of the apparatus of the present inventioiithereto; Fig. 2 is a plan of the parts shownk in the right hand end of Fig. 1;.and Fig. 3 is al side elevation, on an enlargediscale, of the reciprocating nozzle and the parts connected therewith,

with lthe r`intake pipe and the reservoirs shown in section.4 i

rl`he can washing or cleansing machine to which the present improvements are adapted to be applied may be of any usual or preferred construction and mode of operation. One such `can l.washing or cleansing machine is shown and. described in Patent No. 1,309,785, granted to me July 15, 19149. ln that `machine the cans are positioned upside down on a horizontal runway and are advanced `intermittently into position vfor the variouswashing operations, the wasliing or` cleansing liquid being introduced into thev cans during the temporary pauses. ln the accompanying drawings is shown so much of the machine illust-rated in said vanced'intermittently therealong. The can runway `6 comprises two horizontally ldisposed anglev ironsy `7, the upstaiiding side walls 8 of whicliserve as "guides to prevent the lateral displacement of tliecans. `The `angle irons 7 rest on the horizontally disposed bars 9 'which in turn lrest on the transverse pieces 10 supportedfroin the frame .l

washing or cleansing operations.

The improved can washing apparatus ot the present invention is provided with a nozzle 12 carried by the upper or free end of a vertically-disposed discharge pipe 14 adapted to be inserted within the can and to be withdrawn therefrom, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. The nozzle 12 is soshaped as to direct numerous small streams ot the washing liquid to most effectively reach all parts of the interior surfaces of the can. The discharge pipe 14 is con` nected by means of a T nipple 15 with the middle part of an intake pipe 16v which is open at its two ends 17 and 18. The connections between the discharge pipe 14 and the intakey pipe 16 consist of the pipes 19 and 20. nipple 21, and their connecting el bow joints. all as clearly shown in Fig.

vIn the illustrated embodiment of the innt`o the intake i 16 is mounted toV` Ve l n p pe while the nozzle 12 is being inserted into and reciprocate vertically. For this purpose the intake pipe is connected with acam 24 eccentricallv mounted on the shaft 25 which may be driven Yfrom any convenient source of power. The cam groove 26 engages the roll 27 mounted on the outer end'of the lower arm 28 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 29, the other arm 30 of which is connected by the link 31 with the vertical arm 32 of a second bell crank lever mounted on the shaft 33 journaled in the bracket 34. The long oli-set arm 35 of the second bell crank is pivotallv connected by means of the link 36 with a bar 37vwhich extends from the T nipple 15 to the corresponding T nipple 38 of the intake pipe 39. The intake pipe 39 and its associated parts are the same in conF struction and operation as the intake pipe 16 andits associated parts.

rIAhe washing or cleansing fluid or liquid is supplied to the intake pipe 16 Vin such manner thatthere is always `a balanced or equalized pressure'in the pipe as it reciprocates vertically during the insertion of .the nozzle 12 into the can to be washed `and its withalsv drawal therefrom. For this purpose the upper section 410i the intake pipe is arranged to be received within a chamber or reservoir 42 secured to the frame work et the machine,

fand the lower Vsection 43 of the intake pipe isarr'anged to be received within the chamber or reservoir 44 also secured to the frame zle 12 to rise into ,the can.

work oi' the machine. A liquid-tight joint is secured between theA section 41 and the 49 with the stem 50 ofthe movable valve part 56 projecting downwardly in position t0 be engaged and raised by the active part 51 of the cam 52 mounted on the shaft 53 journaled in the brackets 54, one of which is supported from-the reservoir 44 and the other of which is supported fromv the reservoir 55. The shaft 53 may be actuated from any convenient source of power in timed relation with the actuation of the shaft 25. The valve 49 is of usual construction and mode of operation, the arrangement being suchthat when the movable part 56 carry ing the stem 50 is lifted by the engagement of the cam part 51 therewith, the valve 49 is opened to admit water or other wash fluid retracted from the can.

Vhen the line ol' cans passing through the machine is halted with a vcan 5 in position over thenozzle 12 kvot the apparatus of the present invention, the rotation of the cam 24 causes the discharge pipe 14 and the nozenters the can, the valve 49 which controls vthe supply of wash liquid to the reservoirs is actuated to cause liquid under pressure to be lorced out through the perfor-ations in the nozzle 12, as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 3. The liquid which enters the upper part of the lower reservoir 44 through the pipe 48 passes up through the sections 43 and 41 of the pipe 16 and into the upper reser -voir 42. The greater part of the liquid which passes up throughthe section 43 `(after thereservoir 42 and the section 41 have once been lined) passes through the pipes 20 and 19 into 'the discharge pipe. 14 and out through the .nozzle y'12. When the valve which controls the flow of liquid through the supply pipe 48 is opened. putting the liquid in the reservoirs and the pipes connected therewith under pressure, the back pressure from the vnozzle`12 in the pipes 14, 19 and 2() is evenly distributed through the intake pipe 16 into the reservoirs 42 and 44.v Thus there is a balanced pressure in the sections 41V and 43 ot the intake pipe as; the latter reciprocates. Consequently t-he mechanism orraising and As the nozzle 12 lowering the intake pipe and the parts connected with itis compelled to overcome only the action of gravity and the friction of the stuliing boxes.

Having thus described the invention what l claim as new is l. in apparatus for washing cans and the like comprising a nozzle, a pipe connected with the nozzle having two inlet openings, a reservoir in which one inlet opening is located, a second reservoir in which the other inlet opening is located, means for intermittently suplilying one ot the reservoirs with liquid, and means tor actuating the pipe to more the nozzle to desired positions.

2. rin apparatus i'or washing' cans and the like comprising, an upright pipe having a nozzle at its upper end, a vertically arranged intake pipe connected with the nozzle pipe, said intake pipe being open at its upper and lower ends, a reservoir in which the upper end of the intake pipe is located, a second reservoir in which the lower end oil the intake pipe is located, means tor inter-- mittently admitting liquid to one oi" 'the reservoirs, and means `tor raising and lowering the pipes.

in apparatus tor washing cans and the like comprising, an upper reservoir, a lower reservoir, a vertically arranged intake pipe having its upper end loosely connected with the upper reservoir and its lower end loosely connected with the lower reservoir, means for reciprocating the intake pipe, means for intermittently supplying one of the reservoirs with liquid under pressure, and a discharge pipe having a nozzle at its outer end connected with the intake pipe.

t. An apparatus for washing cans and the like comprisng, two reservoirs spaced apart, an intake pipe arranged with one end loosely connected with one reservoir and the other end loosely connected wth the other reservoir, means for reciprocating the intake pipe, means for supplying one of the reservoirs with liquid under pressure, and a discharge pipe carrying a nozzle at its free end connected with the intake pipe.

5. An apparatus for washing cans and the like comprising, an intake pipe having at each end an inlet opening, each end of the intake pipe being' located in a reservoir, means for supplying the intake pipe with liquid under pressure, means for actuating the intake pipe to cause its two ends to trai/el through the liquid in which they are immersed, and a. discharge pipe connected with the intake pipe.

6. An apparatus for discharging liquid comprising, an intake pipe having at each end an inlet opening, means for containing liquid in which the two ends of the intake pipe are immersed, means for actuating the intake pipe to cause its two ends to move through the liquid, means for intermittently supplying fresh liquid to the liquid containing means, and a discharge pipe connected with the intake pipe.

7. An apparatus for discharging liquid through reciprocating nozzle comprising, an intake pipe having at each end an inlet opening, means for containing liquid in which the two ends ot the intake pipe are immersed, means for reciprocating the intake pipe, means for intermittently supplying fresh liquid to the liquid containing means, and a discharge pipe carrying the nozzle at its free end connected With the intake pipe.

8. An apparatus tor washing cans and the like comprising, a vertically arranged intake pipe having at each end an inlet opening, means for reciprocating the intake pipe, an upper reservoirin which the upper end o1c the intake pipe travels, a lower reservoir in which the lower end of the intake pipe travels, means for intermittently supplying Yfresh liquid to one of the reservoirs, and a vertically arranged discharge pipe carrying a nozzle on its iree end connected with the middle ot' the intake pipe.

BURT E. TAYLOR. 

